The invention relates to a nonwoven interlining fabric which is soft, fluffy and bulky and can be used with outer textile material. The fabric is made from a web of staple or endless fibers or both, which is bonded by means of bonding or is partially fused by means of thermoplastically softenable bonding fibers and has a pattern of thermal adhesive on one or both surfaces. In the garment industry, nonwoven fabrics, as well as woven and knitted fabrics, have long been used as interlinings. Nonwoven fabrics having thermal adhesive on one or both surfaces can be joined to other fabrics by heat and pressure and have thus found acceptance as interlinings. Spot-fused nonwoven bonded fabrics with thermoplastically softenable fibers are preferred as interlinings when fabric weights between about 30 and 50 g/m.sup.2 are required. With heavier spot-fused nonwoven fabrics, insufficient bulk and too stiff a feeling are generally obtained.
Further development of these nonwoven fabrics has included roughening the thermoplastic fiber, spot-fused interlining fabrics as an attempt to create better bulk. This attempt however, has not led to an improvement because the roughening process pulls out the fibers and develops a nap on the nonwoven fabric which cannot be coated with the thermal adhesive. The loosened fibers cover the printing device, and the fabric, which is insufficiently coated with the adhesive, is not resistant to mechanical abrasion.
It is therefore an object of the invention to develop a nonwoven interlining fabric which is particularly suitable for use with soft outer textile material, does not interfere with the properties of the outer material and drapes well. In addition the nonwoven interlining fabric must be resistant to the mechanical abrasion caused by washing and dry-cleaning.